Black Sabbath’s Master of Reality by John Darnielle (of Mountain Goats fame)
This is probably my favorite of the 33 1/3 books I’ve read so far. Instead of detailing the making of the album in non-fiction, Darnielle turns in this 99-page epistolary novel, written in the voice of a 16-year-old mental patient writing to his captors about his favorite album.
Here’s a sample:
When you listen to early Black Sabbath, you know the main difference between them & you is that somebody bought them guitars and microphones. They’re not smarter than you; they’re not deeper than you; they’re a fuck of a lot richer than you, but other than that, it’s like listening to the inside of your own mind. So when they write songs, they sing about wizards. And witches. And robots.
A great read. Fans of music and Lynda Barry’s Cruddy will dig it. (Which should be everybody.)
betzistar
